The top local stories this evening from KERA News:
A federal appeals court has upheld Texas’ voter ID law that a judge had twice blocked after calling the requirements discriminatory. The 2-1 decision Friday by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans is a victory for Republican lawmakers who’ve spent years defending what critics say is one of the toughest voter ID measures in the nation.
It’s also the second major ruling in the U.S. over a voter ID law in as many days after an Arkansas judge Thursday blocked that state’s measure.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a revised law last year that allows people to vote without an acceptable ID so long as they sign an affidavit. But opponents say new criminal penalties will have a chilling effect on voters.
Other stories this evening:
- Out in West Texas, oil production is ramping up again, and the schools are seeing record enrollment. Around Odessa, the big question for the Ector County school district is where to put all these kids. Sally Beauvais with Marfa Public Radio reports.
- Raising a family in South Dallas can be difficult. Property taxes are rising, neighborhoods are changing and gentrification seems to loom over the heads of working-class families. In this week's State of the Arts discussion, Dallas native and acclaimed playwright Regina Taylor tells Art&Seek's Hady Mawajdeh how housing insecurity inspired her newest play.
You can listen to North Texas stories weekdays at 8:22 a.m. and 6:20 p.m. on KERA 90.1 FM.
